Employees of the Eiffel Tower souvenir shops began a strike on Friday to obtain an increase in their salaries. This mobilization comes only a month after Iron Lady was hit by another social movement. Its staff demonstrated for six days at the end of February, preventing the site from opening and causing a shortfall of between one and two million euros.
This time, the strike concerns exclusively the fifty employees who work in the eight stores dedicated to the sale of small gadgets bearing the image of the monument, brands owned by the Lagardère X Arteum group. At the origin of their demand, management proposals which “do not meet the expectations of the majority of employees of the official stores of the Eiffel Tower to cope with the increase in the cost of living”, stipulates a press release from the CGT.
A significant shortfall
They were offered an increase of 60 euros gross per month, compared to the expected 230 euros. Beyond the inflation which weighs on their daily lives, employees highlight a clear growth in the number of visitors in recent weeks and therefore money coming into the stores. “For the moment, there is a real reluctance from our management to increase our salaries. Negotiations are at a standstill while currently, we are having turnover figures that resemble those of the summer months,” notes Raphaël Appah, CGT union representative.
New discussions were to be held this Tuesday afternoon following which a general assembly was to be organized “in order to decide on the continuation of the movement”, announces Raphaël Appah. The latter also specifies that these three days of strike have already caused a significant loss of income for the ownership group, in particular due to the influx of tourists during this Easter period.